Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 6 ingredients, 20 minutes

This pizza pasta is made in ONE pan, with SIX ingredients, in TWENTY minutes. I mean, really, does it get any better than that? And it’s nutritious and filling! 

It’s no secret at all that I cannot get enough of one pan meals and one pan pasta recipes like this one. I’m always brainstorming the next one for you guys and this one is so fun. I mean, it’s obviously fun because you only have to wash one pan. 

That’s a given. But also, it’s pizza themed! That’s always a win. It’s not my first rodeo with creating pizza recipes that aren’t pizza. Wow, guys…I went to go grab some links to pizza-themed recipes and it turns out I’m even more obsessed than I thought. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve been creating recipes for 8 years. Here are some great recipes to choose from: 

• Grilled Pizza Quesadillas
• One Pan, Five Ingredient Pizza Chicken
• Pizza Sliders
• Pizza Chicken Tenders
• Pepperoni Pizza Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
• Zucchini Pizza Bites
• Parmesan Crusted Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese
• Pizza Mac and Cheese Muffins
• Pepperoni Pizza Dip
• Pizza Zucchini Noodles with Mushrooms and Pepperoni
• Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
• Pepperoni Pizza Tortilla Pinwheels
• White Pizza Frittata

Good grief, now that we got that out of the way, please point me to the nearest pizza support group because I think I might have a problem. If you’re still here and didn’t get pulled away to another one of those recipes (if you did, I hope it was the pizza sliders because they are amaaaaazing), let’s talk a little about this pizza pasta. 

About this Pizza Pasta

Pizza gets a bad rep for being kinda sorta not the healthiest. Well, that may be true (but may I add, 100% worth indulging in), but I set out to make this pizza pasta a little more nutritious. I use whole wheat pasta for lots of good whole grains, and I include a few handfuls of spinach. Because I put spinach in nearly everything. 

Oh, and by the way, you only need SIX ingredients for this recipe and it takes about 20 minutes. This is a weeknight winner.

I add the step at the end of sprinkling on extra cheese and pepperoni and sticking it under the broiler, but if you’re in a big rush, you could leave that off and this pasta would still be absolutely delicious. 

Variations on this one pan pasta

As with many of my recipes, you can make this one your own! Here are some of my ideas:

• Add more veggies. I feel like that’s always one of my ideas, but it’s a good one! Try sautéing some mushrooms, peppers, and/or onions in a little olive oil before you bring the tomatoes and water to a boil. Remove them from the pan and stir them in at the end if you like the veggies to maintain a little crispness, or leave them in the entire cooking time if you prefer them softer. 
• Turn this into a pasta bake! Bake it right away or freeze it for a later time. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes if baking right away, or bake for about an hour if frozen. Be careful with frozen glass pans and hot ovens! The best method? Defrost the frozen casserole in the fridge overnight.
• Make it extra cheesy. I don’t blame you! Try adding some fresh mozzarella slices on top, or stirring in some ricotta cheese. 
• Make it vegetarian! Leave out the pepperoni. If you do this, try amping up the vegetables like I mentioned above. 
• Make it supreme. Brown some sausage in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. Stir in olives at the end – or whatever you love on your pizza! 
• Or try a different one pot pasta, like this delicious smoky Pasta Amatriciana!

What to serve with this recipe:

Try serving this with warm crusty bread and bread dipping oil Add a fresh green salad with homemade healthy ranch dressing or Homemade Italian Dressing. It would also be delicious with these amazing looking copycat Olive Garden breadsticks from Handle the Heat.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Pizza Pasta

5 from 11 votes

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

6 servings

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This pizza pasta is made in ONE pan, with SIX ingredients, in TWENTY minutes. I mean, really, does it get any better than that? And it's nutritious and filling! 

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 jar (14 oz.) pizza sauce
• ▢ 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni, extra if desired for topping
• ▢ 3 cups uncooked whole wheat rotini (about 12 oz.)
• ▢ 5 ounces fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 cup mozzarella cheese, extra if desired for topping
• ▢ Fresh parsley or basil, for optional garnish

Instructions

• In a large skillet with a cover, combine pizza sauce, diced tomatoes, water, and pepperoni over high heat.
• Bring to a boil, add pasta, reduce heat to medium or medium-high (low boil), and cover. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes (using pasta directions as a guide) or until al dente, stirring occasionally to make sure all pasta gets cooked evenly.

  Note: If pasta seems dry or is sticking to the pan, add a bit more water and reduce heat.
• When pasta has finished cooking, stir in spinach. It should wilt nearly immediately, but if needed, you can cover the pan for 1-2 minutes to help it along.
• Stir in 1 cup of cheese.
• If desired, add extra cheese and pepperoni to top and broil under high heat until bubbling and golden brown. Garnish if desired with fresh parsley or basil.

Notes

• If desired, use gluten-free pasta, regular (not whole wheat) pasta, or any kind you like. Macaroni, shells, noodles, spaghetti all are fine. Calculate cooking time using package directions.
• If desired, brown Italian sausage, ground beef or turkey, mushrooms or diced bell peppers in skillet before continuing with recipe.
• Leftovers can refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to one month. If frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 268kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 992mg, Potassium: 815mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2979IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 166mg, Iron: 3mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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